1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of construction assistance apparatus which permits a workman to more efficiently work on a piece of construction material. More particularly, the present invention relates to the construction field of tile setting and to an apparatus which enables a tile to be held in a secure position while a hole is being drilled through it.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Tile setting involves placing customary tiles which are generally square on a surface such as the wall of a bathroom or kitchen. Tiles conventionally come in three standard sizes, 41/4 inches square, 6 inches square and 8 inches square. A problem arises when it is necessary to set tile over an opening such as the location of the shower pipe opening, the bathtub water pipe opening and the hot and cold faucet water pipe openings. Since tile is made of fragile material such as fired clay, stone or similar material which can fracture when a transverse force is applied to it, drilling a hole through the tile to accommodate the location of the openings of water pipe outlets is a problem. One known method is to chip away at the tile and carefully knock a hole through the tile by chipping away bits of the over time, which is a time consuming process. Another method is to hold the tile in one hand while a drill is used to drill the hole. This is very difficult because the tile itself will rotate as the hole is being drilled and it is difficult and dangerous to hold the tile in one hand while the hole is being drilled through it with the other hand. In addition to spinning, the tile can also easily break or at best an irregular hole is created. A third method is to brace the tile against a surface such as a wall or table. In addition to being difficult to control the tile, another problem is that the drill can penetrate and damage the surface of the wall or table against which the tile is braced.
The inventor is unaware of any prior art which specifically addresses the problem which this invention solves. The closest prior art which relates to the general structure of the present invention is embodied in the following three patents:
1. U.S. Pat. No. 4,436,356 issued to Stelling on Mar. 13, 1984 for "Oven Supporting Apparatus Incorporating Slidable Cookware Support".
2. U.S. Pat. No. 1,702,144 issued to Weston in 1929 for "Pastry Board".
3. U.S. Pat. No. 1,816,266 issued to Shogran in 1931 for "Artificial Flower Making Device".
U.S. Pat. No. 4,436,356 issued to Stelling discloses a member having a upper surface comprising a series of concentric step depressions for supporting various sized cookware utilized in conjunction with an oven.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,702,144 discloses a pastry board which includes a block 8 which is a cutting support on which items such as bread can be cut.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,816,266 illustrates an artificial flower making device including a plate 1 for supporting the artificial flower as it is being created.
Overall, none of the prior art addresses the problem of holding a tile in a steady and secure position while an opening for a plumbing fixture is being drilled through the tile.